Tiger Owl

Chapter 35 Between the Smallest Bits
The chaotic shouts reached the main ship, and Huang Gai, riding on horseback on the shore, shouted: "My lord, our cargo ship has been attacked!"

Sun Ce was furious and shouted, "Untie the tow ropes!"

The main ship's tow rope was untied, and the soldiers began to pole the boat. The bamboo poles could only be used on the Yangtze River, and only for turning around and maintaining balance.

The main ship's sails were also raised, the river wind blew strongly, the sails billowed, and the main ship sped toward the cargo ship.

Sun Ce, holding a bow and arrow, stood at the bow of the boat and shot at Gan Ning's men on the river sampans. His arrows never missed, and in just a moment, he had killed nearly twenty soldiers.

Gan Ning watched helplessly as his men were shot to death, his eyes turning red. He took out a bow and arrows from his waterproof leather bag, slung the quiver over his back, and drew out a wolf-tooth arrow.

At this moment, Sun Ce also saw Gan Ning, drew his bow and shot an arrow at Gan Ning. The arrow was powerful and arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye. Gan Ning reacted quickly, turned his head to the side, and "whoosh!" the arrow grazed Gan Ning's ear.

Just as Sun Ce was about to draw his arrow again, Gan Ning also drew his bow to its fullest extent and aimed an arrow at Sun Ce's chest.

The arrow was as fast as lightning, reaching Sun Ce's chest in an instant. Sun Ce heard the sound of it cutting through the air and quickly dodged, but he was a little too slow. "Thud!" The arrow struck Sun Ce's left shoulder with tremendous force, piercing through his armor.

Sun Ce let out a scream, his body swayed, and he almost fell into the river.

His personal guards reacted quickly, tackling Sun Ce to the ground and carrying him into the cabin. His men struggled to pole the boat to bring their lord's ship to shore.

The Jiangdong fleet slowly docked. Zhou Yu heard that his lord had been wounded by an arrow, so he rushed to Sun Ce's main ship. He was really worried. Although his lord was brave and good at fighting, he had the weakness of being careless and unprepared. He always charged ahead. If this continued, something bad would happen sooner or later.

The cabin was dimly lit. Sun Ce lay on the couch, the arrows already removed by the army doctor. Blood was everywhere. Sun Ce had lost a lot of blood, his face was pale, and his lips were bloodless.

Zhou Yu knelt down beside Sun Ce, grasped Sun Ce's hand, and asked in a low voice, "My lord, how are you?"

"It's just a minor injury, it won't kill you!" Sun Ce said in a low voice.

Zhou Yu glanced at the army doctor and saw the anxiety in his eyes. He knew that the arrow wound was serious and not just a simple flesh wound.

"My lord, we have lost our grain ships. Let's go back!"

Sun Ce sighed and said, "This arrow actually pierced my armor. It must be a bow with a strength of at least three stones. I heard that Gan Ning obtained Lü Bu's bow. This must be him. What a fierce general!"

"My lord, let's go back! We'll come back to see him next spring."

Sun Ce nodded gently and closed his eyes wearily.

Underestimating their enemy was the key to their defeat, a fact both men were well aware of but neither dared to voice.

Zhou Yu immediately stepped out of the cabin and ordered, "Order the guards on the shore to board the ship, and the army will return to Wu County!"

...........
The following day at noon, Gan Ning led 3,000 soldiers and used small boats to tow 150 cargo ships loaded with money and grain back to Chaisang. The cargo included 70,000 shi of grain and 20,000 guan of five-zhu coins.

With ample funds and provisions in Chaisang, Gan Ning distributed 30,000 strings of cash as a reward to the entire army, averaging three strings per person. The atmosphere was one of jubilation, with the soldiers overjoyed as if celebrating the New Year.

During the Three Kingdoms period, soldiers did not receive a salary. They joined the army simply to have enough to eat, and supported their families by winning battles or by plundering.

Almost every army in the Three Kingdoms period plundered. Even Liu Bei, who was known for his benevolence and righteousness, did not plunder the common people, but he would plunder the government treasury. Otherwise, no army would follow him. Of course, there were also wealthy people from Xuzhou like Mi Zhu who followed him.

Like Liu Bei, Gan Ning did not rob the common people or the government treasury. Therefore, Gan Ning had a good reputation in Yuzhang County and Lujiang County. He did not rob the people of Haihun County and Liling County, which spread throughout Yuzhang County. He also did not rob the people of Wan County and Juchao County, which spread throughout Lujiang County as well.

Generally speaking, only when the economy stabilizes and taxes are collected can the army be fed. However, in order to collect taxes, the support of local gentry is required.

Although Gan Ning was not from a noble family, he received widespread support from the noble families of Chaisang County. The reason was simple: he was appointed by the imperial court as the magistrate of Chaisang County. Just like a proper marriage, his status was legitimate, and everyone naturally recognized him.

November arrived in the blink of an eye, and with the end of the year fast approaching, it was time to collect taxes, so the county officials were all busy.

That afternoon, Yang Jing, the registrar, was busy as usual when a yamen runner announced at the door, "Registrar Yang, someone is looking for you outside the county office. They say it's your sister!"

Yang Jing hurriedly walked out of the county government office and, sure enough, saw his cousin, Yang Shi, with a face full of anxiety.

"Rui Niang, what happened?"

Madam Yang quickly stepped forward and said, "This afternoon a tall and fat merchant came. He said he was a subordinate of Marquis Wu and told me to pack my things quickly, take my two children and go with him to Wu County. He even gave me fifty taels of silver, but I refused to take it. He threw the silver down and ran away. What should I do?"

Qiao An was appointed as the county magistrate of Xunyang County by Gan Ning, and lived there with his wife and children, not in Chaisang. Unable to find anyone to help her, Yang could only turn to her brother.

Yang spread her hands, revealing a heavy ingot of silver.

Yang Jing was startled. What did Wu Hou want with his sister? A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately understood. He must have taken a fancy to his two nieces.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Has Lord Wu met your two nieces?"

"Wu Hou is Sun Ce, isn't he?"

"Correct!"

“It’s possible he met them once, about five or six years ago, when he was a general under Yuan Shu. My husband invited him to our home for a meal. I can’t remember if Sun Ce ever met them, but the children were still young then! One was eight or nine years old, and the other was only six or seven. Could he have had improper thoughts back then?”

"And now, with two children?"

They're all at home!

"Go back and keep an eye on them, make sure they're not taken away. Let me think about this."

Yang hurriedly went back.

Yang Jing hesitated for a moment, unable to make up his mind, so he hurriedly went to discuss it with his father.

Yang Jing's father was named Yang Kui, a native of Weijun. He served as an official in Chaisang for ten years, holding positions such as registrar and county magistrate. He was nearly sixty years old and had retired to live at home.

Yang Kui sat by the pond feeding the fish, listening with half-closed eyes to his son's story: Wu Hou had actually taken a liking to Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao? But it wasn't surprising, as his two grandnieces were indeed as beautiful as angels.

What is Gan Ning's attitude?

"Gan Ning's attitude is very clear: he wants both nieces!"

"Both of them?"

Yang Kui said with some dissatisfaction, "Isn't this a bit too domineering!"

"He only said that he would be responsible for the safety of the two young ladies, but he didn't specify that both sisters would be taken into his room, however..."

"But what?"

"He also told me that the two young ladies are still young, and we should raise them for a few more years before making any decisions!"

"Xiao Qiao is only eleven years old, which is a bit young, but Da Qiao is fourteen! She's not young anymore."

Yang Jing sighed, "I can't make up my mind right now. Lord Wu wants it, and Gan Ning wants it too. What should I do?"

Yang Kui thought for a moment and said, "We can't offend Gan Ning, nor can we offend Lord Wu. How about this? We can give Da Qiao to Gan Ning first, and leave Xiao Qiao to Lord Wu. We can talk about Xiao Qiao in a few years and observe the situation. If Lord Wu unifies Jiangdong, it won't be too late to offer Xiao Qiao to him. If Gan Ning becomes powerful, he won't treat us badly after he gets Da Qiao."

Yang Jing said with concern, "But it seems that Gan Ning doesn't really want to marry Da Qiao; he just wants to take her as a concubine."

Yang Kui knew perfectly well that the Qiao family's status was too low, and how could a daughter of the Qiao family become the wife of a feudal lord?

He sighed softly, "Let's send Da Qiao to Gan Ning's residence first! If she gives birth to a son, her status won't be too low; she'll at least be a secondary wife."

"Should we ask Qiao An to come back and discuss this?"

This is a matter concerning the Qiao family, and Qiao An really cannot be bypassed.

“Alright, you can write him a letter. I reckon Gan Ning already knows about what happened today.”

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(End of this chapter)